Total Immersion

Sorry, bad pun, but I couldn’t resist. Back when we were just beginning the April issue of TQL, Ricky confessed his colossal obsession with the Titanic. It was no surprise that his obsession found its way into a quilt. After all, isn’t that what happens when we are totally immersed? I bet you’ve made at least one quilt that was inspired by a subject that fascinates you. For me, that subject is border collies – I showed you my quilt Echoes of Warhol a few weeks ago.

What better issue than the April 2012 (the theme is “pulling from the past”) to give you the pattern for Ricky’s commemorative quilt, Titanic Star. The star block pattern was inspired by the quilty-looking marble floor of the ship’s spectacular grand staircase. Since this weekend marks the actual 100th anniversary, what better time to start a great quilt? (I thought about saying something like “especially if you’ve hit a creative iceberg” but that really would have been horrible.)

Here in Denver, we have our own connection to the Titanic. The legendary, unsinkable Molly Brown lived here. Molly’s house, saved from demolition in 1970 by a group of historic preservationists, is now a museum, flanked by stone lions and restored to the height of its turn-of-the-century glory. Recently, the Denver Post printed an article debunking those myths about our heroine, mostly perpetuated by the 1964 Debbie Reynolds film. Molly wasn’t even her name (it was Margaret, and she was called Maggie). She was also anything but a backwoods, illiterate social climber – she spoke five languages, was an advocate for women and children, and she ran for the U.S. Senate, twice. We also learned that Molly wouldn’t leave the rescue ship, the Carpathia, until all the survivors had some money and a place to go. I hoped the article would say that Molly was a quilter, but it didn’t. I like her anyway.